


Taking a Page from his Playbook

by Going_Geek



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Families of Choice, Family Relationships - Freeform, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, batfam, physical affection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-08
Updated: 2013-05-08
Packaged: 2017-12-10 20:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/789835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Going_Geek/pseuds/Going_Geek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick Grayson is a well-known "Cuddle Monster," but this a collection of small one-shots dealing with times that the rest of the Batfamily giving him the affection he so richly deserves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taking a Page from his Playbook

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or any related licenses.
> 
> This story takes place a few months after wee!Dick moved into the Manor; the boy doesn't even know Bruce is Batman, yet. Also note that this a kinder, gentler Bruce based on the on from Earth-16 because I love me some YJ DaddyBats.

 

 

The long-time butler of Wayne Manor places the last cookie on the cooling rack before he makes his way upstairs to the door of his young charge.  Alfred gives a quick knock and calls out for the boy but receives no reply.  He makes another attempt and this time the only answer he gets is a barely suppressed sob.  The man quickly opens the door to find the eight year-old child wiping at his eyes furiously as he tries to cram some of his most prized possessions into a small bag.

“Master Dick, what do you think you are doing?”

Dick turns away.  “Packing.”

“Well, yes,” Alfred replies.  “I had gathered as much.  Perhaps the inquiry should have been about the reason for said activity.”

The boy tries to sigh but ends up hiccupping instead.  “Because Bruce is going to send me away!”  At this exclamation, his small shoulders start shaking with the force of his sorrow.

In the short amount of time since Dick came into his life, Alfred has learned how important physical affection is to the boy.  The older man hesitates for a moment before wrapping his arms around the child.  Dick is so surprised at this that he lets out a gasp before turning into the embrace and snuggling into Alfred’s torso.

The butler runs a soothing hand over the boy’s back and asks, “Now, could you tell me where you got this ridiculous notion that Bruce was going to send you away?”

“I am nothing but a burden,” Dick says, his voice slightly muffled by Alfred’s clothes.  “Why would he want to keep a kid that does nothing but cause trouble?”

“So this is about the incident at the school today,” Alfred says, mostly to himself.  He squeezes the boy tightly before letting him go so he can look into those tear-filled blue eyes.  “Why don’t you tell me about what happened?”

“Why?  Didn’t the school tell you, already?”

“Yes,” he answers.  “However, I would like to hear it from your point of you, if you would be so kind, young sir.”

Dick frowns slightly, but nods.  “Fine.  Mr. Rivers, my English teacher, gave us a pop quiz on the book we were reading.  The questions weren’t even hard; they were more about what we thought about the things that were going on in the book, y’know?”

“I understand,” the butler says.

“But then just as class was ending, Mr. Rivers told Blake Fuller and me to stay after class,” Dick continues, his frown deepening at the recollection.  “Mr. Rivers noticed that all of our answers were the same.  Identical, he said.  Blake then told Mr. Rivers that I had copied off his paper, and it wasn’t true, Alfred, I swear!  But when I tried to tell the teacher that, he didn’t even want to listen to me.  He said something about being a typical gypsy and told me to go down to the Headmaster’s Office.”

Alfred forces himself to look impassive, but he is nearly beside himself with contempt for this Mr. Rivers.  There is no excuse for how he treated the situation and even less of one for the prejudiced comment the man had uttered in front of two children.

However, the boy is not done with his story.  “At least the Headmaster listened to me, but a fat lot of good that did me since he thought I was lying.  And then he went on and on about how Blake is a good kid and all that.  Then he told me to go sit out in the hall to wait for you and as I was leaving, I heard a couple of teachers talking about how Bruce was going to realize his mistake and get rid of me.”

With that tears begin pouring down the boy’s face again and he lowers his gaze, embarrassed.  Alfred shakes his head before saying, “Master Dick, will you look at me, please?”

The child lifted his eyes until they once again met those of the older man.  “Now, this is important, do you think those teachers know Master Bruce better than I do?”

Dick looks confused and shakes his head slowly, “No…”

“Then you must believe me when I tell you that Master Bruce will not, under any condition, turn you away from this house,” Alfred says firmly.

“But-”

“No,” the butler interrupts.  “He will not.  This is your home, Master Dick, for as long as you wish it to be.”

“Really?” A small promise of the child’s infectious grin appears on the young face.

“Of course,” Alfred answers, trying to reassure the child. 

Suddenly, even the ghost of the possible smile disappears.  “Bruce is going to be mad at me.”

“Of course because Master Bruce absolutely abhors it when you do not cheat on examinations,” Alfred states, quirking a brow at the boy.

“Wait, does that mean you believe me?”

“Young sir, there was never any doubt in my mind of your innocence,” the man says and the boy’s face lights up immediately.  “Now, let us head downstairs, I do believe this situation calls for some cookies.”

\---

Less than twenty minutes later, the sound of a door slamming makes both Alfred and Dick jump.  The boy looks worried but Alfred pats his head affectionately.  “I wonder what has Master Bruce all worked up.”

The man in question is deep in the middle of a rant when he enters the kitchen, practically seething.  “-bigoted, small-minded, bag of-” Bruce stops suddenly when he sees his foster son.  “Dick!”

“Hi, Bruce,” the boy says meekly. 

“Good day, sir?” Alfred questions, only a hint of a smirk on his lips.

Bruce runs his hand over his face in an effort to calm down.  “What gave me away?”

Before Alfred can give his witty reply; Dick blurts out, “I’m sorry, Bruce!”

“Why are you sorry?” Bruce asks. 

“Because it’s my fault that you’re upset,” he answers.  “But I swear, Bruce, I didn’t cheat!”

“I know that, chum,” Bruce says, sitting down at the counter beside the boy.  “And it’s not your fault, all right?  If anyone should be apologizing here, it should be me.”

“You?”

“I’m the one that enrolled you in that horrible school,” Bruce tells him.  “What do you say if tomorrow we look for a better school for you?”

“Yeah?”

Bruce nods.  “Yeah.  I think I’ll give Jim Gordon a call and see what school his daughter goes to.”

Dick jumps up from his seat and hugs Bruce tightly, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Bruce says, stiffly returning the embrace.

The boy grins up at his surrogate father and then sprints over to Alfred and hugs the butler as well.  “Thank you, Alfie!”

“Whatever for, Master Dick?”

“For everything.”

 

 


End file.
